Machine-readable delivery platform for automated package delivery

• US 9,336,506 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Inc. (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Shucker, Brian Daniel, Trew, Brandon Kyle
• Primary Examiner(s): Marshall, Christle I
• Application Number:
  US14/268,683
• Publication Number:
  US 20150317597A1
• Time in Patent Office: 739 Days
• Field of Search: 235/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/02 Control of position or course in two dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 1/0202 specially adapted to aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06037 multi-dimensional coding
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/083 Shipping
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0833 Tracking

Abstract

A user requests a package delivery from a package delivery system. The package delivery system provides the user with a machine-readable code for display at the delivery location. An aerial delivery device receives, from the package delivery system computing device, information associated with the delivery location of the package. The information comprises information matching the information in the machine-readable code associated with the delivery location and a delivery address. The delivery device secures the package for transporting to the delivery location and transports the package to the delivery address. The delivery device locates the machine-readable code on a display at the delivery address and verifies that the information from the machine-readable code is associated with the package. The delivery device deposits the package on the display.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method to automate package deliveries, comprising:

receiving, by one or more computing devices, a request for a package delivery, the request comprising an identification of a package and an identification of a delivery location;

associating, by the one or more computing devices, the package with a delivery device;

associating, by the one or more computing devices, delivery information with the delivery location, wherein the delivery information comprises a machine-readable code to be printed for display in a particular location for the package to be deposited at the delivery location; and

transmitting, by the one or more computing devices, the delivery information associated with the delivery location to the delivery device for the delivery device to deliver the package to the particular location displaying the printed machine-readable code at the delivery location.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery location further comprises a GPS location of the delivery location.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery location further comprises an address associated with the delivery location.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery location further comprises instructions for the delivery device to locate the printed machine-readable code at the delivery location and to deposit the package at the particular location displaying the printed machine-readable code.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the delivery device is an aerial drone.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising transmitting, by the one or more computing devices, the machine-readable code to a user associated with the delivery location.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the machine-readable code is transmitted to a user computing device associated with the user.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable code, when printed, is a barcode or a QR code.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving, by the one or more computing devices, a confirmation from the delivery device that the package has been deposited at the delivery location.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the machine-readable code when printed is an image.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving, from the delivery device and by the one or more computing devices, the printed machine-readable code obtained by the delivery device from the display of the printed machine-readable code at the delivery location; and

transmitting a verification that the printed machine-readable code is associated with the package.

12. A system to deliver packages to specified user locations, comprising:

a storage device associated with a delivery device; and

a processor communicatively coupled to the delivery device storage device, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to;

receive, from a package delivery computing system, delivery information associated with a package and a particular delivery location at a delivery address;

secure the package for transporting to the delivery location;

transport the package to the delivery address;

locate a printed machine-readable code at the particular delivery location at the delivery address, the printed machine-readable code comprising information associated with the package;

verify that the located printed machine-readable code comprises at least a portion of the delivery information associated with the package; and

deposit the package at the particular delivery location in response to verifying that the located printed machine-readable code comprises the at least a portion of the delivery information associated with the package.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery location further comprises a GPS location of the delivery location.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery location further comprises an address of the delivery location.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the printed machine-readable code is a QR code or a barcode.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the delivery device is an aerial drone.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein verifying that the printed machine-readable code comprises at least a portion of the delivery information associated with the package comprises:

transmitting the printed machine-readable code to the package delivery computing system; and

receiving a verification from the package delivery computing system that the printed machine-readable code is associated with the package.

18. The system of claim 12, further comprising:

a package delivery computing system comprising a package delivery system storage device and a processor communicatively coupled to the package delivery system storage device, wherein the processor executes application code instructions that are stored in the storage device to cause the system to;

receive a request for a package delivery, the request comprising an identification of the package and an identification of the delivery location;

associate the package with the delivery device;

associate the delivery information with the delivery location, wherein the delivery information comprises the machine-readable code to be printed for display in the particular location for the package to be deposited at the delivery location; and

transmit the delivery information associated with the delivery location to the delivery device for the delivery device to deliver the package to the particular location displaying the printed machine-readable code at the delivery location.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein verifying that the printed machine-readable code comprises at least a portion of the delivery information associated with the package comprises:

transmitting the printed machine-readable code to the package delivery computing system; and

receiving a verification from the package delivery computing system that the printed machine-readable code is associated with the package.

20. The system of claim 18, further comprising application code instructions executed by the processor of the package delivery computing system to transmit the machine-readable code to a user associated with the delivery location.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein the machine-readable code is transmitted to a user computing device associated with the user.

22. The system of claim 18, further comprising application code instructions executed by the processor of the package delivery computing system to receive a confirmation from the delivery device that the package has been deposited at the delivery location.

23. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the passive machine-readable code is transmitted to a user computing device associated with the user.

24. The system of claim 12, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery location further comprises instructions for the delivery device to locate the printed machine-readable code at the delivery location and to deposit the package at the particular location displaying the printed machine-readable code.

25. A computer program product, comprising:

a non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable program instructions embodied thereon that when executed by a computer cause the computer to deliver packages to specified user locations, the computer-readable program instructions comprising;

computer-readable program instructions to receive a request for a package delivery, the request comprising an identification of a package and an identification of a delivery location;

computer-readable program instructions to associate the package with a delivery device;

computer-readable program instructions to associate delivery information with the delivery location, wherein the delivery information comprises a machine-readable code to be printed for display in a particular location for the package to be deposited at the delivery location; and

computer-readable program instructions to transmit the delivery information associated with the delivery location to the delivery device for the delivery device to deliver the package to the particular location displaying the printed machine-readable code at the delivery location.

26. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising computer-readable program instructions to transmit the printed machine-readable code to a user associated with the delivery location.

27. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the information associated with the delivery location further comprises a GPS location of the delivery location.

28. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the information associated with the delivery location further comprises an address of the delivery location.

29. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the printed passive machine-readable code is a QR code or a barcode.

30. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the delivery information associated with the delivery location further comprises instructions for the delivery device to locate the printed machine-readable code at the delivery location and to deposit the package at the particular location displaying the printed machine-readable code.

31. The computer program product of claim 25, wherein the delivery device is an aerial drone.

32. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising computer-readable program instructions to transmit the printed machine-readable code to a user associated with the delivery location.

33. The computer program product of claim 25, further comprising computer-readable program instructions to receive a confirmation from the delivery device that the package has been deposited at the delivery location.